BELGIAN HARES 

...And How To Raise Them... 



BY FREDERICK E. SCOTFORD 

CQAME WARDEN STATE CP ILLINOIS) 



I 



^ 



» 



PRICE, 50 CENTS 




KING TODDIE AT EIGHT MONTHS. 



Belgian Hares 



AND HOW TO RAISE THEM. 



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A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE CARE AND 
MANAGEMENT OF THE HARE. 



By FREDERICK E. SCOTFORD, 
Hinsdale, III., U. S. A. 



PRIOE, 50 OXS. 



Copyright 1900, by Frederick E. Scotford. 



TWO COPIES RECEIVEO. 

Library of Congrot% 
Offico of tbt 



$f455 MAY 18 1900 

<^ A.7 K€glit»r of CopyrtgHfik 



59117 

INDEX. 



SECOND COPY, 



PAGE 

Selection 4 

In-breeding 3 

Description 6 

How TO Handle the Hare 7 

Dewlaps 8 

Fecundity 8 

The Care of the Hare 10 

Size of Pens 10 

Food 11 

Preparations for Winter 12 

The Hutch 13 

The Young 13 

The Rabbitry 16 

Shipping 19 

Prices 20 

Some Don'ts 21 

Raising Hares for the Market 22 

Preparing the Hares for the Market 23 

Cooking the Hare 24 

U. S. Belgian Hare Company's Rabbitry 24 

A Word of Caution 26 

The American Standard of Excellence for 

the Belgian Hare 28 



The Belgian hare has come to stay. 

His history in the United States has been 
brief but triumphant. 

About seven years ago, as nearly as can be 
ascertained, the first shipment of hares was 
made to America, consigned to a gentleman in 
Los Angeles, California. 

It is possible that a few scattered pairs had 
entered the country before that time, but no 
one had endeavored to raise the hare as a 
marketable commodity. 

During this short period, the Belgian hare 
has obtained so strong a foothold in America 
that there are to-day hundreds of breeders with 
capital invested representing in the neighbor- 
hood of a million dollars. 

The stronghold of the Belgian hare industry 
in America, is California, principally because it 
was introduced there, and the first and strongest 
efforts to popularize it were made in that state. 

As a food product, the Belgian hare has 
demonstrated its value for many years in Con- 
tinental Europe and in England, and, to-day, is 
as much of a staple in France, Germany, Hol- 
land, Belgium and England as beef, and is 

more highly esteemed not only for its nutritive 
-qualities but also for its exquisite flavor, and 

3 



from the fact that it is more easily digested 
than any other kind of meat. 

No literature has heretofore been available 
concerning the management and care of the 
Belgian hare as it must be handled in central 
North America. 

The few breeders who have brought hares 
into the Great Central Mississippi Valley and 
like regions have discovered that conditions are 
so different from those on the Pacific Slope as 
to make Pacific Coast rules of care and manage- 
ment almost worthless, except in a general way, 

SELECTION. 

In buying foundation stock for a herd of 
Belgian hares, the greatest care should be 
taken to secure animals of excellent pedigree, 
coloring, marking and size. 

It is as true of Belgian hares as of any 
other animals that breeding for color alone 
ultimately causes a decrease in size and vitality. 

On the other hand, breeding for size may 
give first-class coloring, although it is a fact 
that the very finest prize-winning animals are 
not the largest. 

But there is no reason why prize-winners 
should not become the largest, in the course of 
time, if there be careful selection. 

Much depends upon the dealer from whom 
your foundation stock is purchased. 

4 



The average buyer cannot distinguish be- 
tween a first-class animal and one of inferior 
character. 

This is certain to be the case until Belgian 
hares are much more widely distributed than 
they are at present. 

It remains, then, for the buyer to depend 
upon the seller for honest treatment in the 
matter of selection. 

No reputable dealer in Belgian hares will 
allow any stock to leave his hands under mis- 
representations. 

It is a fact that parentage has much to do 
with the price of an animal. The offspring 
of championship stock, even four or five gene- 
rations removed, will bring more money than 
equally good hares of other blood. 

In buying and raising Belgian hares, one 
should be extremely careful to avoid in-breed- 
ing. Nothing will so soon deteriorate a herd 
of hares as this. 

• If the buyer wants the hares as foundation 
stock for a small herd which is destined to 
supply his own table only, one or two pairs 
will be ample. 

If, on the other hand, the intention is to go 
into the breeding of hares for the market or 
for the sale of foundation stock, new blood 
must be constantly added in order to maintain 
a high standard. 

6 



If the intention is to raise hares for one's 
own use, there is no necessity for paying fancy 
prices for the best marked animals. 

Healthy, strong hares of good pedigree, but 
without all the little peculiarities in color and 
marking which go to make up a prize-winner, 
will produce just as many and just as large 
hares for the table as the more costly ones. 

DESCRIPTION. 

The thoroughbred Belgian grows to a 
weight of from 8 to 12 or 14 pounds. By 
careful selection and mating of the largest and 
most healthy of the animals in a herd it is pos- 
sible to raise very large stock, and the maximum 
will undoubtedly reach 16 pounds or even more 
in the course of the next few years. 

In color the pure-bred Belgian is what is 
called a "rufus red," a sort of reddish tan which 
shows to the best advantage on the shoulders 
and top of the neck. 

The sides and haunches will be darker, with 
many of the hairs tipped with black ; this is 
called "ticking." 

The mottled or wavy appearance caused by 
this ticking is highly prized as a sign of pure 
blood. 

In the finest specimens the haunches will 
have a wavy-brown appearance. 

6 



The front feet and legs are small and 
carried well in. 

The rufus red hairs, though not necessarily 
of so pronounced a shade as on the back of the 
neck, must be carried over the front feet with- 
out being barred with white. 

The belly and the underside of the tail are 
usually white, but the presence of brown or 
tan colored hairs is highly prized. 

The head is graceful and carried well up. 
The eyes are dark and brilliant. The ears are 
about five inches long in a full-grown animal 
and tipped with a black edging called "lacing." 
This lacing should extend well down the edges 
of the ear. 

The more clearly defined the lacing, the 
higher the score of the animal. 

Ears must be carried erect and stiff — droop- 
ing ears are a sign of degeneracy. 

The hind legs are large and extremely 
powerful. In handling the animal, he should 
be taken by the skin at the back of the shoul- 
ders (never by the ears) and lifted clear off the 
ground. The hind feet should not be touched 
in handling the animal. 

If the hare is lifted in any other manner 
than by the skin at the back of the shoulders, 
one is apt to receive a kick from one or both 
hind feet which, if it strikes the unprotected 
skin, will invariably draw blood. In moving 

7 



a hare from one pen to another a box about 
the width of the pen in length, and 12 inches 
wide and high with wire netting at the back 
and a lifting door covered with wire at the 
front, should be provided. The hare should be 
gently driven into this box, when it may be 
moved easily. The Belgian is not intended as 
a household pet, he is a business animal em- 
phatically. 

So great is the power in the hind legs that 
a meddlesome cat or a small dog may be van- 
quished with a single blow. 

The Belgian hare invariably hops. He 
never v^alks or runs unless at large and closely 
pursued. 

Dewlaps, which sometimes appear in the 
form of a tuft of long hair beneath the lower 
jaw of a hare, while not necessarily disqualify- 
ing the animal, are undesirable and count 
against a high score. 

FECUNDITY; 

The fecundity of the Belgian hare, as in 
the case of all members of the rabbit family, is 
astonishing. 

It is an historical fact that a single pair of 
rabbits imported into Australia, in the course 
of a few years almost devastated that country 
and called fourth legislative action for their 

8 



destruction The commercial value absolutely 
precludes the possibility of the Belgian hare 
becoming too common in this country. 

Hares in captivity will not multiply so 
rapidly as those in a natural state, but, never- 
theless, with ordinary care most astonishing 
results can be obtained. 

A single doe will, if allowed to do so, give 
birth to a litter of "kittens," as the young 
Hares are known, every 30 days, year in and 
year put. These litters will run from 6 to 14, 
averaging about 10 in number. 

Of course it is not wise to allow a breeding 
doe to bring forth progeny in such numbers, as 
the strain upon the mother is tremendous. 

Every other month, year in and year out, is 
often enough and will allow the owner to keep 
his hares in a first-class physical condition. 

Does are sufficiently mature at five months 
of age to allow service and will kindle at six 
months. With proper care they will breed 
until they are from five to seven years of age 

A statistician has figured that the offspring 
of a single pair of Belgians, assuming that none 
died until the age of five years, bred once in 
two months, will produce at the end of five 
years 4,305,181,682 Hares. 

Of course, this could never happen in reali- 
ty, as the amount of expense required for 
handling so many hares and the care to be 

9 



bestowed upon them, as well as the losses 
which would certainly result, would reduce 
this figure tremendously. 

THE CARE OF THE HARE* 

There are two ways of raising and caring 
for a Belgian hare. 

The best way is, of course, nature's way as 
nearly as it is possible to follow it. This means 
that the hare should have plenty of room, 
light and healthy food. 

In our rabbitry the pens for each adult 
Hare are 20 ft. long, 2J^ ft. wide and 6 ft. 
high, covered on all sides with woven wire 
netting and with two thicknesses of tarred wire 
netting buried 6 inches beneath the ground. 

Above the entire length of the pens is a 
weather-tight roof projecting far enough to 
protect the animals from storms. 

The space allowed each hare is sufficient to 
afford him plenty of exercise and as he has 
plenty of earth to dig in, he is kept in first-class 
condition constantly. 

Another way, and one which we are sorry 
to say is more common than the way we have 
just mentioned, is to confine each individual 
adult hare in a box about the size of a large 
packing case say 4 or 5 ft. long, 2 ft. high and 
2 or 3 ft. deep. This will do very well for 
those who intend to raise hares for the table, 

10 



although even in this case they will not be so 
healthy nor will they mature so quickly as when 
they can run upon the earth. 

When a hare is confined in a small space 
it is likely to be attacked by some one of the 
many ills which animals in close confinement 
are subject to, while allowed to run in the 
larger spaces such as we have described, illness 
is almost unknown, except in case of improper 
feeding. ' 

Where so much space cannot be spared as 
is necessary to have pens of the size thus above 
mentioned, smaller pens may be made to doj 
but they should by all means be upon the 
ground and should be open on two sides during 
warm weather to allow free draft of air. 

Large out-of-door pens, such as we have 
adopted for our rabbitry, should be cleaned 
once or twice a week. This will almost entire- 
ly prevent the offensive odor where many 
people complain of as a necessary adjunct to 
pet stock raising. 

In this region the best food for the Belgian 
hare is second growth clover hay, a mixture of 
equal quantities of oats and bran, and the suc- 
culent fruits and vegetables. 

Being a "cud-chewing" animal, the long 

fibre found in hay, straw, etc., is indispensable. 

The [hare will not eat flesh, and is extremely 

cleanly in its habits. Scraps of bread, cake 

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etc., from the table as well as the parings from 
potatoes, apples, turnips, etc., will be welcomed 
and readily consumed. 

A little salt should always be provided, 
preferably a large lump of rock salt, placed in 
a convenient part of the pen so that the hares 
may lick at it as often as they feel so inclined. 
If salt is given in this manner they will not eat 
more than is necessary for their welfare. 

Clean water should be provided every day. 
Above all things the pens should be kept dry. 

They should be tightly roofed and have 
free access to a current of air which will keep 
them cool during the hot weather. 

In winter, where the thermometer some- 
times registers as low as 20 degrees below zero, 
it will be difficult to raise young in unheated 
quarters, but hares more than a month old will 
survive the coldest weather in an unheated en- 
closure if given plenty of nourishing food and 
kept in an underground burrow with plenty of 
straw in which they may shelter themselves. 

The hare is a fur-bearing animal and if 
protected from moisture, cannot be harmed by 
any ordinary degree of cold, although hot 
weather will sometimes cause them to sicken 
and die if they cannot have plenty of fresh, 
cool water. 

In the winter our pens are boarded up with 
matched lumber so that no snow can enter, and 

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no other precautions are taken to secure warmth 
for the hares except that plenty of straw is 
provided for their underground hutches. 

THE YOUNG. 

A doe will kindle in 30 days, almost to the 
hour and minute from the time she is bred. 
Two weeks before the doe kindles she should 
be provided with plenty of fresh, clean straw 
or hay so that she may build her nest. 

This she will make preferably in a dry un- 
derground hutch, which should consist of a 
wooden box sunk in the ground, with its top 
flush with the top of the soil. 

This box should be about 18 inches long, 
from a foot to 15 or 16 inches high and of 
equal breadth. A runway should be constructed 
from the outside so that the Hare may enter on 
an inclined plane. 

This runway must either be made of wood 
or be carpeted with wire netting to prevent the 
Hares from burrowing, as they invariably do 
when they can find an opportunity to do so. 

The top of this box should be in the form 
of a trap-door, so that the nest may be opened 
and examined from time to time for cleaning 
and other purposes. 

If the soil is wet or likely to be so in bad 
weather, the underground hutch should be 

13 



omitted and a box of the same dimensions 
placed six inches above the soil, in its stead* 
This should be provided with a door of leather 
or similar fabric hung from above, so that the 
mother may have free access and at the same 
time keep the nest always dark. 

Do not attempt to make a nest for the doe. 
She will attend to that herself far better than 
you could do it. 

It will be in the form of an inverted cone 
thickly lined with fur from her own breast. In 
this soft, downy covering the little ones will 
lie snugly until they are old enough to leave 
the nest, which will be at about 20 days. 

On leaving an underground nest during the 
time that it is occupied by young, the mother 
will invariably close the opening by filling it 
with dirt or straw, if she can find the material 
for doing so. 

This is to prevent the little ones from leav- 
ing the nest and climbing to the light before 
they are old enough to do so, and also to keep 
rats and other natural enemies of the hare 
from getting at her offspring. 

It may appear to you that this nest is never 
open, but during the night when the mother 
nurses her offspring, it is entered frequently. 

If a larger litter than eight be born, it is 
necessary to destroy all above eight, or provide 
a foster mother. An ordinary white rabbit 

14 



may be deprived of her own progeny to make 
room for the more valuable Belgians. 

The greatest care should be taken in feeding 
the mother or nurse during the period vs^hen 
she nurses the little ones. She must have 
milk-producing food. Nothing produces milk 
so well as milk. 

A little warm milk given to the mother 
several times a day will many times repay the 
small expense, in increased size and health of 
her offspring. Cereal food products such as 
oatmeal and wheat products are valuable at 
this time. 

Under no circumstances should the doe be 
given green food while she is nursing young. 
Nothing will so easily kill a young hare as this. 

The young themselves must not be allowed 
to have any green food until they have reached 
four months of age. It is true that in their 
wild state they have constant access to green 
vegetable life without apparent injury, but ex- 
perience has proven that in captivity they can- 
not with safety be fed anything except cured 
provender. 

At about three weeks of age, the little ones 
will begin to run around outside the hutch and 
will nibble choice bits of hay and select dainty 
tid-bits from a shallow tray of oats and bran 
which should be provided for them. 

It is well also at this time to provide the 

15 



little ones with some bread and milk every 
night or morning. They will repay the trouble 
and expense in sturdy, rapid growth. 

After a hare is four months old he may 
safely be fed green food which is not wet; he 
should be accustomed to the diet slowly, how- 
ever. Never feed a hare wet green stuff of 
any kind. In the case of clippings from a 
lawn, green grain, vegetables, etc., it is safe 
to cut them in the morning and let them 
lie and wilt in the sun until noon before 
feeding. 

If the little ones are carefully attended to 
they may be removed from their mother at any 
time after they are a month and a half old. If 
there is not another litter in the nest it is well 
to allow them to remain with her until they 
are two or two and one-half months old. 

Never allow the sexes to remain together 
after 2^ months of age. Always remove and 
destroy a nest as soon as the little ones are old 
enough to leave it and before another litter 
is due. 

THE RABBITRY. 

Rabbitries can be built for from $1.50 up- 
ward according to size, etc. 

As we have already said, large, roomy pens 
upon the earth produce better animals and 

16 



healthier stock than more confined ones. Every 
pen should be six feet high and should be pro- 
tected from the ground up for i y^ ft. at least, 
with one inch mesh wire netting. This will 
keep out rats, weasels and such vermin and, at 
the same time, keep in the small hares, which 
will without difficulty go through a two-inch 
mesh wire until they are a month and a half 
or two months old. Six inches beneath the 




CONVENIENT FORM FOR A RABBITRY. 

surface of the soil there must be a layer of 2 
inch wire netting, tarred, to prevent rust. This 
will prevent the hares from digging out. 

In building your pens the doors should be 
hung from a foot to two feet from the ground 
so that in case they swing open, the hares will 
not run out. 

It is necessary to cover the pens above with 
wire to keep out cats. They are inveterate 
enemies of the young hares and will carry 

17 



away a litter in a night, if given an opportunity. 

The rabbitry should have a pitch roof so 
that water will not run from it quickly and 
this roof should be high enough above the 
pens to furnish ample shade and allow a free 
circulation of air in the hottest weather. 

A feed box for hay should be provided and 
this may be in the form of a half cylinder of 
wire netting which may be filled with hay so 
that the hares will draw it through between 
the meshes or in some other manner which 
will readily suggest itself. 




DIAGRAM OF FEED BOX. 



To prevent waste of bran and oats it is well 
to have an automatic feed box for this food. 
This may be made by providing an upright 
box about i6 inches high, 6 inches deep and a 
foot broad with a piece running from the front 
lower edge of the box about 4 or 5 inches 
highes up so that oats and bran dumped in at 
the top will slide down this incline to the front 
and bottom, which should be provided with an 

18 



opening from ^ to ^ of an inch wide, with a 
tray with one inch beading about the edge to 
prevent waste. (See diagram.) 

Tiiis tray should not be more than 2^ in. 
wide, for if it is the Httle ones will jump up 
upon it and scatter the bran and oats broadcast. 

This food box should be covered at the top 
and should be suspended at one side of the 
pen so that its bottom will be about 6 inches 
above the level of the soil. 

During the time the little ones are nursing 
watering cups should be hung on the wire out 
of their reach, as they are apt to drink too 
much if allowed to indulge themselves. They 
will obtain plenty of liquid refreshment from 
their mother. 

The offspring of different hares should be 
kept carefully apart untill they have received 
a numbered ear tag which will enable you to 
identify them. This ear tag should be placed 
through the lower portion of the back edge of 
.the ear and should be in the form of an alum- 
inum disk fastened through the ear with an 
aluminum wire. These disks may be had for 
a very small price. (See price list in back of 
book.) 

SHIPPING. 

In shipping hares not more than one should 
be placed in a compartment. They should be 

10 



provided with watering cups, a food tray and 
ample provision made for securing hay, oats 
and bran on the road. Hares should not be 
shipped for any distance by rail before they 
are three months old. 

PRICES. 

As a food product Belgian hares sell at 
from 1 8 to 35c a pound, dressed weight. As a 
hare will dress a pound in weight for every 
month after six months of age up to ten 
months, if well cared for, it will be readily 
seen that they may be marketed at from $1.25 
to $2.00 each. 

The skins will bring from 15c to 25c each 
if properly cared for. After removing from 
the animal the skin should be stretched and 
dried the same as in the case of all other furs 
and pelts. 

Hares intended for breeders should be more 
carefully selected than those for the table 
and, of course, must be valuable, pedigreed 
animals. 

These bring from five to two or three 
hundred dollars each, according to their parent- 
age, marking, etc. 

It is safe to say that a very fair pair of 
hares may be had for from $25 to $100. 

Any reputable breeder will treat you hon- 

20 



estly in this matter, so that you may depend 
upon him to furnish you the best which he 
possibly can for the amount of money you 
have to spend. Any other course would soon 
result disastrously for him. 

SOME DONTS. 

Never take the buck to the doe's pen. 
Always carry the doe to the buck. 

Don't lift a hare off the ground in your 
hands if you can help it, and when it is neces- 
sary to move a hare more than a few feet, drive 
him or her gently into a box, such as has 
already been described and move in that manner. 

Don't put two bucks in adjoining pens. 
They will worry one another and will attempt 
to fight each other through Ihe wires. 

Don't fail to keep a careful register of every 
hare in the rabbitry by number and name. 

Don't fail to keep a ledger account with 
each breeding buck and doe. 

Don't build your pens so that cats, dogs and 
rats can get in, or that old or young hares can 
get out. 

Don't allow children or adults to play with 
or frighten your hares. 

Don't ship a doe which is carrying young 
after the first two weeks. 

Don't allow a buck to cover a doe more 
than twice at one service. 

21 



Don't fail to test your does on the third, 
fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth days by offering 
her to a buck. If she is with kittens she will 
refuse. If she refuses, don't leave her in the 
pen for the buck to worry. 

Don't feed the little ones green stuff under 
any circumstances. 

Don't fail to put a spring on your rabbitry 
doors. The hares will not attempt to escape 
if the doors are properly hung from one to two 
feet above the ground, in any case, but dogs are 
likely to jump in and destroy your stock if 
the doors are not kept closed. 

RAISING HARES FOR THE MARKET. 

Strong, large, healthy stock should be selected 
for this purpose. A space of a quarter of an 
acre fenced in with wire netting to a height of 
seven feet above the ground and three feet 
below the surface, (the first two feet above the 
ground to be one-inch mesh, the balance two- 
inch mesh), will accommodate twenty-five does 
and one buck. 

Brush-heaps or stone-piles, or something of 
that nature, should be provided liberally, under 
which the rabbits may dig their burrows, and 
an abundance of pure flowing water should be 
provided. 

A hay-rack, which may be made in any 

22 



»f C. 



manner which will prevent the hay from being 
scattered, should be placed within the enclosure 
somewhere, and if a roofed-over space, which 
can be boarded in the winter, is available, it will 
be well to use it, as it will afford protection for 
the hares from wet and inclement weather. 

One buck should not be allowed to serve 
more than twenty-five does. As many of these 
quarter-acre spaces may be provided as is neces- 
sary to accommodate the hares, but no more 
than this number of hares should be confined 
in a space. 

As a rule, no more than one doe should be 
allowed to a buck in a single day, although he 
will cover more if given an opportunity. 

PREPARING THE HARES FOR THE 
MARKET. 

Don't alarm hares which are to be killed 
for table use. When alarmed, they will jump 
•with terrific force, striking anything in their 
way, sometimes forming flesh bruises and 
blood clots, which injure them for food. 

Hares intended for the market should, be- 
fore killing, be quietly driven into a small 
space through a gate, which it is well to pro- 
vide with each pen, so that they may be removed 
without violent effort or exertion on their part 
in endeavoring to escape. 

23 



To kill a hare, grasp it by the hind legs 
firmly, strike a quick, sharp blow at the back 
of the neck. This will stun the hare so that 
its throat may be cut and he may be bled 
freely. 

After killing hang the carcass by the gam- 
brel cords, just as butchers hang animals in the 
market. Slit the skin from gambrel to gambrel 
near the tail, up and down the rear edges of 
the thighs, and over the belly to the head. 
Free the skin from the joints and draw it care- 
fully back and downward from the body, tak- 
ing pains not to cut the flesh or skin in remov- 
ing it. Be sure to separate the fat from the 
pelt before hanging it up to dry. Remove the 
entrails and hang the carcass in an ice-box to 
chill. 

COOKING THE HARE. 

No method that we have tried equals that 
of steaming. This preserves the juices and 
flavor thoroughly and makes a most de- 
lightful dish. The steaming should be done 
in a double cooking-dish, such as is used for 
cooking oatmeal and cereal products. Use just 
enough water to cover the meat thoroughly. 
Let it steam in the neighborhood of three 
hours. Thicken the gravy and add butter. 
Season with pepper and salt to suit the indi- 

24 



vidual taste. Serve as you would quail, on hr^t 
toast. 

Invalids will find this dish a very dainty one, 
appetizing and easily digested. 

Fried or baked, the hare has no equal 
among food animals, being far superior to 
turkey or chicken in flavor and nutriment. 



U. S. BELGIAN HARE COMPANY'S 
RABBITRY. 

Our main sales office is in Chicago, Suite 
6io Teutonic Building, with breeding yards at 
Hinsdale, 111,, and for the convenience of our 
western customers, another breeding farm at 
Los Angeles, Cal. 

Through our efforts the Express companies 
have reduced the rate for shipping live hares 
just one-half during the last year. 

Our rabbitry has a present capacity of about 
2,000 a year and is being enlarged constantly. 

Visitors, either at the office in Chicago or 
at the rabbitry in Hinsdale, are always wel- 
come. 

We are constantly adding new blood to our 
stock and have always ready for delivery fine 
hares for exhibition purposes or the ordinary 
grades for breeding and table use. 



25 



A WORD OF CAUTION. 

Dishonest speculators who have hares for 
sale have spread the impression broadcast that 
it is an extremely easy thing to raise Belgian 
hares to maturity. This is not so. 

Unless common sense is allowed to rule and 
the utmost care exercised in feeding and hand- 
ling a considerable proportion of young will 
die. How large this proportion is depends 
entirely on the degree of ignorance or careless- 
ness on the part of the owner. 

If the rules laid down in this book are faith- 
fully followed the loss will be reduced to a 
minimum. 

Those who find difficulties of any kind in 
raising hares are invited to correspond with 
us. We shall be glad to give them the benefit 
of our experience. A stamp for reply is re- 
quired. 

All Hares sold by the Belgian Hare Co. 
are eligble for registration with the National 
Belgian Hare Club, at Denver, Colo., on pay- 
ment of 50 cents registration fee to the secretary. 

Every pen should be provided with a "pen 
card." This prevents confusion of identity of 
any particular Hare and gives particulars of 
every nature of immediate interest to the 
breeder. A convenient form is as follows: 

26 



REIM NO. 



Name 

Born Sex . . . 

Served Daie . 

Tested 

(If a doe.) 

Kindled 

Number of kittens 

Male Female , 



27 



THE AMERICAN STANDARD OF EX- 
CELLENCE FOR THE BELGIAN 
HARE. 

DISQUALIFICATIONS. 

/. Loafed or fallen ear or ears. 2. White frotit feet 
or -white bar or bars on same. j. Decidedly xvry front 
feet. 4. Wry tail. 

A specimen should have the benefit of any doubt. 
Color. — Rich Rufus-Red (not dark, smudgy 
color), carried well down sides and hind 
quarters, and as little white under the jaws 

as possible 20 

Ticking. — Rather wavy appearance and plentiful 15 
Shape. — Body — long, thin, well tucked up flank, 
and well ribbed up; back slightly arched; 
loins — well rounded, not choppy; head — 
rather lengthy ; muscular chest ; tail — straight, 
not screwed; and altogether of a racy ap- 
pearance 20 

Ears. — About five inches, thin, well laced on 
tips, and as far down outside edges as pos- 
sible; good color inside and outside, and well 

set on ID 

Eyes. — Hazel color, large, round, bright and bold 10 
Legs and Feet. — Forefeet and legs — long, 
straight, slender, well colored and free from 
white bars; hind feet as well colored as pos- 
sible ID 

Size. — About eight pounds 5 

Condition. — Not fat, but flesh firm like a race 

horse, and good quality of fur 5 

Without Dewlap. — 5 

Total 100 

28 



PRICE-LIST. 

(Terms, invariably cash with ordet,) 

Hares, each $5.00 to $300 00 

Service 3.00 to 25.00 

Wire Shears (heavy) i.oo 

" Staples, per pound .12 

Door Springs, per doz 3.00 

Extra quality Woven Wire Netting, 2 

in. mesh, 4 ft. wide, 600 sq. ft to roll, 4.50 
Extra quality Woven Wire Netting, i 
in. mesh, 2 ft. wide, 300 sq. ft. to roll, 
(no broken rolls) f. o. b. St. Louis or 

Trenton, N. J 6.00 

Asphaltum Roofing Felt (best), 3-ply, 

per roll of 108 sq. f t. 2.00 

Asphaltum Roofing Felt (best), 2-ply, 

per roll of loS sq. feet 1.50 

Roofing Nails, per lb .10 

Tin Caps for Nails, per lb .12 

(i lb. nails and i^ lb. caps for each 
100 sq. ft. of roof.) 
No. I Scales, weigh up to 25 pounds. . . 2.50 
Aluminum Ear Tags (numbered) with 

wire, each 5 cts., per 100 2.20 

Pen Cards, on heavy manilla stock, per 

100 I.oo 

Certificate of Sale, with pedigree blanks, 

per 100 1.50 

Refined Tar in i gallon cans (for coat- 
ing underground wire netting and 
roof) per gallon .90 

Upon application we will make plans for 
rabbitry of any size and estimate material 
needed in construction. 

U. S. BELGIAN HARE CO., 

HINSDALE, ILL. - . u. S. A. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 848 221 8 



U. S. BELGIAN HARE CO., 

HINSDALE, ILL., U. S. A, 
Chicago Office, 610-611-612 Teutonic Building. 

Long Distance Telephone Main 1763. 

Breeding Yards at Hinsdale^ 
Illinois^ and Los Angeles^ CaL 



Pedigreed and pure-blooded 
Belgian Hares exclusively. 
No Hares sold for breeding 
purposes which are not eli- 
gible for registration under 
the rules of the National 
Belgian Hare Club, Denver, 
Colo. (The official organi- 
zation of the Hare industry 
in the United States)<^i^^c^ 

FINE BUCKS ALWAYS AT SERVICE. 

Foundation stock for fancy 
herds or large and heavy 
stock for table breeders al- 
ways on handt^iM;^,^.^!^ 

•♦♦CORRESPONDENCE SOLICITED... 



